1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the shielding of the current carrying power cords against the inadvertent damage that occurs to the alternating current (hereafter referred to by the acronym ac) power cord when the blade or blades of a cutting tool make mechanical contact with the power cord connected thereto during the normal operation of the electrically powered tool. Specifically the invention describes a sleeve assembly that protects the power cord from inadvertent damage when a length of an electric cord proximate the cutting tool make physical contact with the cutting edge of the blade assembly of a cutting implement during its use
2. Description of the Related Art
Longitudinally extended tubular-shaped covering or electric cord sleeves of thermoplastic synthetic materials with form memory are known and disclosed as in U.S. Pat. No 4,944,976 to Plumer and U.S. Pat. No 5,505,230 to Bartholomew all disclose various designs for tubular enclosures. These tubular enclosures are primarily designed to protect electrical conducting devices over an emended period of time from such undesireable elements such as water and soil. The present invention is designed to prevent accidental damage to power cords connected to electrical trimming or cutting tools. During the use of ac powered trimming and cutting tools, the blades of the tool are sometime inadvertently brought in to contact with the power cord. This accidental contact with the blades by the power cord almost always results in some damage to the power cord causing temporary loss of the use of the ac-powered tool. The diameter of the power cord in many instances is less than the linear distance between adjacent teeth or the blades of a cutting tool. In those cases, the power cord can become wedged between teeth during physical contact therebetween resulting in damage as by shearing or sawing action to the power cord. Typically, a power cord used to supply ac power to an electrical cutting or trimming tool does not have any protective shielding for preventing damage to the cord if it intersects the cutting path of the blade or blades.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide an extended split tubular sleeve that will provide protection for a current carrying power cord when it makes accidental contact with the operating blades of an ac powered tool such as a hedge trimmer.